Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Shortbread

From Wikipedia:

Shortbread is a type of biscuit (cookie) which is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts oatmeal (although plain white flour is common today, and other ingredients like ground rice or cornflour are sometimes added to alter the texture). Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word short). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The related word "shortening" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a short (crumbly) texture. [1]

However, if you ask me, its named thus because it shortens your life. Its packed with butter, and all the other good stuff that's bad for you. Oh, hangon, my bad. Its just the butter....

Anyway, its darn easy to make, and tastes delicious. I just had a wedge for breakfast with a cup of piping hot instant coffee....(what to do, no one to make filtered coffee for me)....

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer, or food processor. Add flour, water....mix a bit until cohesive, turn out onto table surface and knead a little bit.

Make out 8" diameter discs (recipe makes 2x 8" discs), or a square tray approximately (pi r square yields a total area of 100 sq inches for two discs) 10x10 inches....for the same thickness.

Run some lines over the dough, (for ease of cutting later on) and prick the dough with a fork, randomly, or systematically, depending on your mood.

Sprinkle some extra castor sugar evenly onto the discs.

Bake in 160C oven (140C if fan forced) for about 40 minutes.

The texture of my shortbread was very crumbly, melt in the mouth. I think if you want a harder consistency, knead a bit more. Unlike massages, where kneading relaxes you, I find the more you knead these butter doughs the harder it gets. Hmmm, come to think of it, massages can also have the same effect....

pea, yeah, easy. do you make your own jam? must make own jam then only nice. hate those packeted bulk jam.

pureglutton, buttery & fattening and you're avoiding it? then you arent living up to your name wor?!! but actually, if you think about it, its the same quantity of butter as a cake of the same diameter. so two wedges will have same calorific content as a slice of cake....

Since oatmeal absorbs cholestrol due to its fibrous form, i guess that's the reason why it was combined with butter to make shortbread. i laughed so hard at your life-shortening statement. so farny lar..hehe..

as i was telling AWOL the other day, i hope to make some cookies this cny. i guess i'll add some tangerine or orange peel and just call it some "double happiness fortune blessing spirited horses jade dragon fire phoenix" cookie. thanks for the recipe, dude! ;)

Of course own pineapple jam from scratch. I don't believe in short cut when it comes to making this sort of thing. It's just like being told to buy ready made lotus paste but make own mooncake skin and bake it. That is so cheating..hehe. Well..no offence to those who really do that but yes, I made my own lotus paste too!

precious pea... good on ya woman, making your own jam. its hard to find a good woman these days who is willing to do all these things from scratch. most of these traditions died off with their grandmothers. hey, since you're into making stuff, have you checked out the gourmet halls in BSC? aiyo, they selling stuff like POMELO PEEL, for like exorbitant prices. now i know what to do with all my leftover pomelo skin....

Pomelo peel...good stuff!! Had it once at Yung Kee in HK and paid exorbitant price for that dish. Braised with superior stock...got lots of dried scallop lor. Very very nice...just like eating errmm...radish or squash. Love it!

Love shortbreads esp homemade ones and ESP those with ground almonds or hazelnuts. Yours look beautiful...I made some ages ago http://diaryofkayel.blogspot.com/2007/05/almond-shortbread-cookies.html#linksI am inspired to make a batch this weekend..Aiyo.... there goes my resolution to eat better.

About Me

Oft misunderstood soul. Shy, reserved, likes to stay in the background, but inevitably mistaken as not shy, extrovert etc. Originally meant to be a culinary blog, but in due course discovered man does not live on cake alone..hence the waffle.